Heflin team in limbo over election challenge: Many in Capitol ready to move on after defeat by Vo (from the Chronicle):
Although veteran Republican state Rep. Talmadge Heflin still is contemplating a challenge to his 31-vote defeat, some members of both parties are acting like he’s out and some are saying openly that he should accept his loss.
Heflin’s lawyers said they hope to decide by Friday whether to request a recount, although the deadline for doing so isn’t until after the Texas secretary of state certifies the election result next week. The Houston lawmaker also could contest the election in the state House.
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Some people in Austin already are waiting to move in, with a senior legislator claiming Heflin’s Capitol office in a ritual that follows legislative elections. Based on seniority, returning House members get the chance to pick new offices being vacated by retiring or defeated members.
State Rep. Edmund Kuempel, R-Seguin, the only remaining member of the legislative group first seated in 1983 along with Heflin, claimed Heflin’s third-floor office, one of the bigger ones in the Capitol.
